The Law Is for the Knowledge
of Sin
In Romans 3:20, we read, "By the law is the knowledge of sin." At first, I considered this verse to be merely a personal message to the Apostle Paul and only tried to believe in the words that I preferred. But after my tears dried up, I couldn't continue my religious life of faith.
So, I sinned repeatedly and found out that I had sin in my heart and that it was impossible to live by the Law. I couldn't bear it, but I also couldn't discard the Law because I believed that it was given to be obeyed. In the end, I became a lawyer, like those mentioned in the Scripture. It became so difficult for me to continue a life of faith.
I had so much sin that, while reading the Law, I began to realize those sins whenever I violated each of the Ten Commandments in my heart. Sinning in the heart is also committing sin, and I had unwittingly become a believer in the Law.
When I kept the Law, I was happy. But when I couldn't keep the Law, I became miserable, irritated and sad. Eventually, I became desperate over it all. How smooth it could've been if I were taught from the beginning the very true knowledge of the Law like this, "No, no. There's another meaning to the Law. It shows you that you are a lump of sin; you have love for money, the opposite sex and for things that are beautiful to look at. You have things that you love more than God. You want to follow the things of the world. The Law has been given to you, not to keep, but to recognize yourself as a sinner with evil in your heart."
If only someone had taught me the truth then, I would not have had to suffer for 10 years. Thus, I had lived under the Law for 10 years before I came to this realization.
The fourth commandment is "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." That means that we should not work on the Sabbath. They teach that we should walk, not ride if we are traveling far distances on Sunday. I thought that it was more appropriate and honorable to walk to the place where I was to preach. After all, I was about to preach the Law. Thus, I felt that I had to practice what I preached. It was so difficult that I was about to give up.
As it is recorded here, "What is your reading of it?" I didn't understand this question and suffered for 10 years. The lawyer misunderstood it as well. He thought that if he obeyed the Law and lived carefully, he would be blessed before God.
But Jesus told him, "What is your reading of it?" The man answered according to his legalistic faith. And then He said to the man, "Yes, you answered right; you are taking it as it is written. Try and keep it. You will live if you do, but die if you don't. The wages of sin is death. You will die if you don't." (The opposite of life is death, isn't it?)
But the lawyer still didn't understand. This lawyer is like every one of us, you and me. I studied theology for 10 years. I tried everything, read everything and did everything: fasting, having illusions, speaking in tongues.... I read the Bible for 10 years and expected to accomplish something. But spiritually, I was still a blind man.
That is why a sinner must meet someone who can open his/her eyes, and that someone is our Lord Jesus. Then, one can realize that "Aha! We can never keep the Law. No matter how hard we may try to keep the Law, we will only die while desperately trying. But Jesus came to save us with the water and the Spirit! Hallelujah!" The water and the Spirit can redeem us. It is the grace, the gift of God. So we praise the Lord.
I was lucky enough to graduate from the hopeless line of legalism, but some spend their whole lives studying theology in vain and never realize the truth until the day they die. Some people believe for decades or from generation to generation, but are never born again.
We graduate from being a sinner when we realize that we can never keep the Law, then stand before Jesus and listen to the gospel of the water and the Spirit. When we meet Jesus, we graduate from all judgments and damnation. We are the worst sinners, but we become righteous because He saved us by the water and the blood.
Jesus told us that we could never live in His will. He told this to the lawyer, but he did not understand. So Jesus told him a story to help him understand.
"A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead" (Luke 10:30). Jesus told the lawyer this parable to awaken him from the fact that he suffered all his life, just as this man was beaten by thieves and almost died.
A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. Jericho represents the secular world while Jerusalem represents the city of religion; the city of faith, populated with the boasters of the law. This story tells us that if we believe in Christ in just a religious way, we will be ruined.
"A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead." Jerusalem was a big city with a large population. There was a high priest, a host of priests, Levites and many outstanding men of religion there. There were many who knew the Law well. There, they tried to live up to the Law, but eventually failed and headed for Jericho. They kept falling into the world (Jericho) and could not avoid meeting thieves.
The man also met thieves on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho and was stripped of his clothes. 'To be stripped of his clothes' means that he lost his righteousness. It is impossible for us to live by the Law, to live up to the Law. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:19-20, "For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me."
I wish I could do good and live in His words. But in the heart of a man are evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murder, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness (Mark 7:21-23).
Because they are in our hearts and come out now and then, we do what we will not to do and we do not do what we should do. We keep repeating those evils in our hearts. What the devil has to do is to give us only a small stimulus to sin. Get more here
about the Law? |
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the Law. |
In Romans 3:20, we read, "By the law is the knowledge of sin." At first, I considered this verse to be merely a personal message to the Apostle Paul and only tried to believe in the words that I preferred. But after my tears dried up, I couldn't continue my religious life of faith.
So, I sinned repeatedly and found out that I had sin in my heart and that it was impossible to live by the Law. I couldn't bear it, but I also couldn't discard the Law because I believed that it was given to be obeyed. In the end, I became a lawyer, like those mentioned in the Scripture. It became so difficult for me to continue a life of faith.
I had so much sin that, while reading the Law, I began to realize those sins whenever I violated each of the Ten Commandments in my heart. Sinning in the heart is also committing sin, and I had unwittingly become a believer in the Law.
When I kept the Law, I was happy. But when I couldn't keep the Law, I became miserable, irritated and sad. Eventually, I became desperate over it all. How smooth it could've been if I were taught from the beginning the very true knowledge of the Law like this, "No, no. There's another meaning to the Law. It shows you that you are a lump of sin; you have love for money, the opposite sex and for things that are beautiful to look at. You have things that you love more than God. You want to follow the things of the world. The Law has been given to you, not to keep, but to recognize yourself as a sinner with evil in your heart."
If only someone had taught me the truth then, I would not have had to suffer for 10 years. Thus, I had lived under the Law for 10 years before I came to this realization.
The fourth commandment is "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." That means that we should not work on the Sabbath. They teach that we should walk, not ride if we are traveling far distances on Sunday. I thought that it was more appropriate and honorable to walk to the place where I was to preach. After all, I was about to preach the Law. Thus, I felt that I had to practice what I preached. It was so difficult that I was about to give up.
As it is recorded here, "What is your reading of it?" I didn't understand this question and suffered for 10 years. The lawyer misunderstood it as well. He thought that if he obeyed the Law and lived carefully, he would be blessed before God.
But Jesus told him, "What is your reading of it?" The man answered according to his legalistic faith. And then He said to the man, "Yes, you answered right; you are taking it as it is written. Try and keep it. You will live if you do, but die if you don't. The wages of sin is death. You will die if you don't." (The opposite of life is death, isn't it?)
But the lawyer still didn't understand. This lawyer is like every one of us, you and me. I studied theology for 10 years. I tried everything, read everything and did everything: fasting, having illusions, speaking in tongues.... I read the Bible for 10 years and expected to accomplish something. But spiritually, I was still a blind man.
That is why a sinner must meet someone who can open his/her eyes, and that someone is our Lord Jesus. Then, one can realize that "Aha! We can never keep the Law. No matter how hard we may try to keep the Law, we will only die while desperately trying. But Jesus came to save us with the water and the Spirit! Hallelujah!" The water and the Spirit can redeem us. It is the grace, the gift of God. So we praise the Lord.
I was lucky enough to graduate from the hopeless line of legalism, but some spend their whole lives studying theology in vain and never realize the truth until the day they die. Some people believe for decades or from generation to generation, but are never born again.
We graduate from being a sinner when we realize that we can never keep the Law, then stand before Jesus and listen to the gospel of the water and the Spirit. When we meet Jesus, we graduate from all judgments and damnation. We are the worst sinners, but we become righteous because He saved us by the water and the blood.
Jesus told us that we could never live in His will. He told this to the lawyer, but he did not understand. So Jesus told him a story to help him understand.
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in the life of faith? |
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"A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead" (Luke 10:30). Jesus told the lawyer this parable to awaken him from the fact that he suffered all his life, just as this man was beaten by thieves and almost died.
A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. Jericho represents the secular world while Jerusalem represents the city of religion; the city of faith, populated with the boasters of the law. This story tells us that if we believe in Christ in just a religious way, we will be ruined.
"A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead." Jerusalem was a big city with a large population. There was a high priest, a host of priests, Levites and many outstanding men of religion there. There were many who knew the Law well. There, they tried to live up to the Law, but eventually failed and headed for Jericho. They kept falling into the world (Jericho) and could not avoid meeting thieves.
The man also met thieves on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho and was stripped of his clothes. 'To be stripped of his clothes' means that he lost his righteousness. It is impossible for us to live by the Law, to live up to the Law. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:19-20, "For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me."
I wish I could do good and live in His words. But in the heart of a man are evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murder, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness (Mark 7:21-23).
Because they are in our hearts and come out now and then, we do what we will not to do and we do not do what we should do. We keep repeating those evils in our hearts. What the devil has to do is to give us only a small stimulus to sin. Get more here
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